HR&DC BLOG

The Haitian Renaissance

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Haiti Trip (January ‘19); Day Three: It’s a beautiful Sunday in Haiti. The sun is shining, church revival music fills the air and my spirits are good. Having weathered the emotional toll of yesterday’s anniversary, I’m looking forward to a less complex schedule. And though some of my activities will involve injured souls who handled

Haiti Trip (January ‘19); Day Two: Today is the anniversary of Haiti’s 2010 Earthquake. To observe this hallowed anniversary, I once again traveled to the main ceremonial (mass) grave site in Titanyen. At my side were three men (Aby, Reginald and Ronald) I have come to consider as my brothers. Some friendships are forged in

Haiti Trip (January ‘19); Day One: It’s early Friday morning and I am awaiting my flight from Tampa to Miami enroute to Haiti. It’s been over 31 million seconds since I last traveled to Haiti. Truth be told, I’ve needed every second of my sabbatical to repair myself physically, emotionally and spiritually. As concessions to

“When will the dead be left in peace?” This question was repeatedly asked of me by closest colleagues, (and others around us), as we witness yet another display of ignorance and political opportunism at the ceremonial mass grave site in Titanyen. While at the time I was to angry to allow words to escape

In November of 2014, as I found myself navigating Haiti’s treacherous political waters, I had this to say: “I have always gone to great lengths to avoid involving myself in Haitian politics, or in the geopolitics that permeates this vulnerable nation. That said, sometimes it is necessary to walk an uneasy path as one

Unlike any of my previous trips to Haiti over the last 5 years, as I prepare to board my plane I am more anxious that normal and unsure as to what challenges or types of situations (riots, collapse of the government) await my arrival. I guess a country in crisis and teetering on the edge

‘For the fallen there is only silence. It is we who make the noise.’ These words came to me in 2010 when I first knelt amongst the visible bones and human carnage in Titanyen. They struck me like a hammer to an anvil and they still resonate within my soul each and everyday. As

4 years ago today close to 300,000 Haitians lost their lives in less time than it will take you to read this post. If being crushed to death wasn’t a cruel enough fate, most of the innocent victims found their way into the back of dump trucks and were unceremoniously deposited into mass burial

It’s right around 7:30 pm and I have just landed in Miami. All around me the hum of life fills my senses and I am thankfully for this much-needed infusion of energy. As my recent posts had indicated, over the course of the last 8-days I interacted with scores of people in a wide-array

A few months ago I passed along one of my favorite quotes which went something like this: “One day your life will pass before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” If I lived to be 100 years old, I may never have a day that surpasses today in scope or in sheer importance.